Kern Valley River Council is an Equal Opportunity Service Provider and a Permittee of the Sequoia National Forest

KERN RIVER 2003 ICF WILDWATER WORLD CUPSHosted by the Kern Valley River Council, a California Non-Profit Organization

Race Courses & Descriptions

Several sections of the Kern River will be used for the 2003 World Cup events. The whitwater difficulty will range from easy flatwater to challenging class IV rapids. Brief descriptions of tentative race courses follow. (Click on photos to display a larger image. Photos are from various reaches of the Upper and Lower Kern and do not necessarily correspond to the race courses described.)

World Cup 1: A classic race on the Cable Run. Starts at the Thunderbird put-in and finishes at River Kern beach. This is a a class III-IV
section of approximately four miles, with some stretches of class II. An good introduction to Kern River whitewater.

World Cup 2:
Sprint race through a class IV- section of the Cable Run. Put in at Camp 3 with the takeout at the ‘Half-Way” unimproved campground. This section includes “The Wall”, a rapid with strong current, standing waves and diagonals.

World Cup 3: A classic race starting at River Kern Beach and finishing at the end of Riverside Park in Kernville. This section starts at III+ and
is mostly class II-III with relatively straightforward lines.

World Cup 4:
Sprint race ending in Kernville. This starts with a class II+ or III drop, followed by a long pool and then finishes with class II rapids in Riverside Park in Kernville.

World Cup 5:
Classic race on the Upper Kern River. The “Limestone section”. Starts at Johnsondale Bridge and finishes at Willow Point. A scenic and challenging reach with class III and IV rapids. More difficult at higher flows. The road follows the river for most of this stretch. Some practice may be needed to run in a WW boat.

World Cup 6:
Sprint race on the Upper Kern River. The “Limestone section”. Starts at Limestone campground and finishes four rapids downstream. This is a short, but challenging section that includes two class IV rapids.